Commodore Robert F. Stockton, Fort Stockton's namesake Fort Stockton, later called Fort Dupont, was a historical

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California, built in 1828. The Fort Stockton site is a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

No. 54, listed on December 6, 1932.

History

The fort was built by

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

's Carlos Carrillo to overlook Pueblo de San Diego and San Diego Bay in

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

. New Spain abandoned the fort in 1837. The fort became

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Fort Dupont from July 1846 to November 1846 when the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

took Old Town San Diego during the Mexican-American War. The fort was named after US Captain Samuel F. DuPont with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

that arrived on July 29, 1846, aboard with Major John C. Frémont and his troops, also Kit Carson and his men. Stephen Rowan and William A. T. Maddox with their troops were first to come ashore in San Diego. Those aboard ''Cyane'' rebuilt the old fort on the hill. After rebuilding the fort Frémont and most of his troops marched to Los Angeles. ''Cyane'' also went to Los Angeles to take Los Angeles. Captain Ezekiel Merritt and John Bidwell stayed behind and held Fort Dupont. The fort was abandoned shortly to Mexican

Californios Californios (singular Californio) are Californians of Spaniards, Spanish descent, especially those descended from settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries before California was annexed by the United States. California's Spanish language in C ...

, Francisco Rico, and Serbulo Varela with 50 of his troops. The US chartered the whaling ship ''Magnolia'' to take troops and supplies to San Diego. The ''Magnolia'' crew of 35 sailors and 15 volunteers landed and laid siege to the fort, city, and port at San Diego, and the fort was retaken. Mexican Ramon Carrillo and Captain Leonardo Cota returned with troops to retake the fort on October 26, 1846. But on October 31, 1846, Commodore Robert F. Stockton arrived aboard the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

. The vessel was loaded with troops under Archibald H. Gillespie. Mexicans Santiago Arguello and Miguel de Pedrorena joined the US forces to retake the fort. The fort, now retaken, was given more

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

s. The improved fort was renamed Fort Stockton after Robert F. Stockton. The fort was turned over to General Stephen Watts Kearny. Fort Stockton became the United States headquarters while forces ended the Californio revolt in early 1847. The Mormon Battalion camped at Fort Stockton shortly in 1847. At the end of the short war with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, Fort Stockton was abandoned on September 25, 1848. The Fort Stockton site is now a hill in Presidio Park. A historical marker was placed on the hill on August 3, 1991, by the State Department of Parks and Recreation working with the San Diego City Department of Parks and Recreation and Squibob Chapter,

E Clampus Vitus The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (ECV) is a fraternal organization dedicated to the preservation of the heritage of the Western United States, especially the history of the Mother Lode#California Mother Lode, Mother Lode and gold ...

References

{{Authority control California Historical Landmarks History of San Diego County, California 1828 in Alta California 1828 establishments in Alta California Landmarks in San Diego

History

See also

References